Romantic webcomics: The high school trope

Klaustasya 2018-07-27 20:38:33 UTC #1

So, i'm opening this thread after reading the latest answers in the "Tropes that you hate the most"
and found out that a big part of them where all manga-related lol.
Fortunately, i'm trying to get our from the typical shoujo/romantic manga tropes and cliches and i'm currently moving more towards american teen-drama stories (don't know if it's for the best or not, to be honest haha!)

But there is still a classic trope hunting me in every original story i try to develop: The highschool setted-story trope.

For me at least, there's nothing too bad about using highschool or school in general for a romantic plot (though many people pointed out that there are a bunch of more other places where to set one, in which i totally agree too), sometimes since the story is very good, people don't care much about the envoirment where it even started, and kinda forget about how much was "boring" in the beginning because of this.

Many popular tv shows/ anime/manga/ movies begins from school, probably because it's the best place to use for gathering around characters with same age (teenagers) though if you're trying to just get two single characters together, in my opinion, you cad do it anywhere else to

For example, i'm particularly obsessed with an old story i created about one year ago which in my case has to be setted into an High School because even though there is only one pair at the beginning (and i could make them meet any other place if i want to) more characters will have to come, and they are all teens, so the easiest way to do it is aiming for a public envoirment where this young people goes very often: school.

I know, even though i'm using an already-saw-one.milion-times trope, there are many ways to not make it weight on people who don't like it, or even developp it better enought to make it pleasant, but i'll need more advices about it, and here comes the reason of this topic:

1) How would you handle a romantic school-setted trope? How would you introduce it to the readers?
2) How would you play the story in this envoirment to favour characters dynamics and developpment?

joannekwan 2018-07-27 20:53:43 UTC #2

I think personally if I were writing about high school kids, I would focus more on them coming to terms with themselves and finding a groundwork for their personal identities. I wouldn't put much romance in it at all, instead I'd focus on maybe a close friendship (that may lead to a romance later) where the two characters support each other in their personal self-discovery and maybe have it end with them going to prom or whatever with a gentle kiss at the end of the night.

I'm not too big on high school romance for a number of reasons
1. people are still finding themselves at that age. For me it's hard to connect to a romance when the characters aren't sure of themselves yet, I don't see the relationship lasting.
2. it limits how much physicality you can show. I like reading and drawing steamy scenes, do I want to see or depict minors and baby 18 year olds in such scenarios? NO.
3. in general I'm not big on the whole high-school sweethearts thing in real life or in fiction.

Jenny-Toons 2018-07-27 20:57:00 UTC #3

Confusion -- in the good way.

High school is one of those environments where you're still developing. You think you know everything, but the reality is real different, and you end up not knowing what to do sometimes.

That's ok. It's a learning experience.

For me, I'd introduce it as a memory, a fond one, between two Juniors who were friends. One's got an knack for puns and drawing. The other loves to garden and read. They've been friends since pre-k.

But one day, they overhear someone talking about having sex with their girlfriend/boyfriend. The two laugh --- what's the big deal about sex and relationships?

But through joking and hypothetical thinking, they both decide to kiss each other. And the story woukd develop on whether or not they'd want to advance from just being friends. No unnessary drama.

For me, school romances are fleeting because the characters involved are so young and inexperienced. It can be sweet, but not nessarily love. So I'd focus on the confusion of figuring out these feelings, understanding love for a friend, and wondering if you've done right by your heart.

shazzbaa 2018-07-27 22:11:37 UTC #4

Keep in mind also, here on the forums we get a topic about once every two or three months wondering WHY IS BL SO POPULAR??? And yet, on the actual Tapas site, BL is extremely popular, and the thousands of people subscribing to those comics aren't usually cringing at the typical aspects of the genre or wondering why others like it. That's just an example of how What People On These Forums Think doesn't necessarily determine What Most Readers Think.

This forum is a niche of people that doesn't always reflect the tastes of the wider internet. You could find that 70% of people on here hate a certain trope, then make a comic with that trope and still get a huge following because there are tons of people outside of this forum who don't hate it. While folks on here definitely have valuable insight as experienced creators, you also have to ask yourself, when you see an opinion or a bit of advice -- is this relevant to me and to my audience? Or is this person just not my audience?

I don't think it's a good idea to fret and change your story just because someone out there doesn't like a thing. Think about WHY they don't like it, and if you think they have a point that you agree with or not. Some people don't like stories that have a "chosen one," but that doesn't mean I need to immediately respond "oh no, maybe I shouldn't have a chosen one in my story" -- it means I should look at why they don't like it. They say it takes away the agency of the character and it's a cheap way to force the character to go on a quest without actually thinking about WHY this person might go on a quest. And if I look at that and go "oh, shoot, they're right, my character is underdeveloped because of this," then I make some changes. And if I think "oh, I see why this bothers them, but I don't think my character is cheaply forced into this quest -- I think him being a chosen one works for this story," then I wouldn't change it.

You say, "I know I can set the romance anywhere but..." and then list all the reasons why you want to set it in a school anyway. So set it in a school! You don't have to get our permission to do that. You just have to accept that the people who see "romance taking place in highschool" and tune out are not your audience.

----

A lot of times when I run into this sort of advice, where the advice makes sense but I'd be nervous or unsure about implementing it in my story because I don't know if it fits, I'll sort of... think about it as a hypothetical? So okay, what if I DID follow this advice? if this story didn't take place in highschool, where else could it take place? Maybe one of these kids has a summer job and they met the others there? Maybe they all meet up for D&D on weekends? Maybe they met each other at camp? Whatever -- just think about how WOULD you make it work, and ponder what changes it would make to the story and characters -- what things wouldn't work? Is there a way you could change the characters to make it work?

And all of this is just an exercise, and it's good practice, and then you look at what you've come up with and decide if you like it or not. Either you've figured out why setting the story somewhere else wouldn't work and now you've just made a weird AU for fun, or you've figured out that actually you DO like setting the story somewhere else and you make some changes! A lot of times I think it's easy to shy away from even considering big changes like that, because we have an idea of what the story was gonna be like in our heads and immediately think "ehhhhh... but I don't know if that would work for my story....."
Actually stopping and taking a moment to explore it as a possibility can teach you a lot about how flexible this sort of stuff really is! Maybe you'll like the results, or maybe you won't, but it doesn't hurt to try it and explore the thought!

beta1042 2018-07-27 22:55:41 UTC #5

I'm writing a HS romance comic and well the main reasons for doing so are
1-I like "young new first loves" Falling inlove the 2nd, 3rd, etc time just isn't as exciting to me. Because your first love and the way teens seem to go about love ingeneral is just intoxicating. As a older person the way I view love with my husband is nice, but it's not the same as when I was highschool. And i guess if I want to relive a feeling when I read some romantic fluff I want to feel the way I did back then.
2-I can avoid certain topics of sex. I know high schoolers are having sex too, but I think it's more realistic to have 2 high schoolers be together for months and avoid the topic of sex than it is for 2 college students or 2 adults. I'm just personally not interested in writing about it atm and I think if I had older characters I'd feel obligated to bring it up. Right now I can blissfully pretend it doesn't exist and that hand holding is the ultimate lewd interaction XD

So essentially more than the high school itself, I wanted the age group. But I think at that age, so much of your life centers around school that it can be challenging to avoid the location of school itself. In my case it's easier to have most of the story set in a school because then it's easier for the characters to meet, and school uniforms make drawing that much faster. I'm so thankful for rich people and their private school uniform policies. (I totally set my story in a private school just so I could have my characters in uniforms)

akemikae 2018-07-27 23:01:55 UTC #6

I'd say analyze how you intend on implementing the high school element into the comic? I for one didn't use it to introduce the two main characters, as they had known each other from a different place. I use high school because 1) The age the characters are and 2) High School has a lot of events that just happen that you can grasp onto to use in your comic.

I'll admit, for some reason, manga high schools seem to have a LOT MORE events to grasp onto that are super cliche. Like school festivals, and sports festivals. I'd say it's easier to name mangas that don't use them, rather than the other way around.

You said you wanted to set it in an American high school, right? Well, in my experience, being American and all, there are a lot of things you can do for that setting. Pretty much every school is different, as opposed to the way they show Japanese schools (in manga only, I'm sure). Do you want them to be in a specialty school? Like one that is specifically made for arts? Maybe one for science? One that is basically early college? Those are just a few options to make it stick out more.

Even then, if your reasoning for using high school is only because of the age they are, that's fine. You don't even have to have a lot of the events take place in school. It'll just be in inevitability that you'll have to work around the fact that they do go to school.

Once again, I'll ask. How were you intending on implementing the High School Element?

Klaustasya 2018-07-27 23:17:13 UTC #7

To be honest the whole plot with these two main characters, doesn't play too much around school events.
You know, it's a story about a Guy who has a secret yet is still willing to lead a normal life and being a normal teenager fooling around and having fun while still feeling insicurity and fears kicking in. School in this story is just important for 3 things:

1)Introducing the male lead and his facade complex. He has to prented he's normal, in a school full of other teenagers and social hierarchy, otherwise he would be pretty much dead. So in the first school pages we basically need to see how he behaves with certain people in order to be accepted and beyond suspicion.
2) Introducing the female lead, they will probably have to work together for a school project or they will be grounded and then speak to each other for the first time (actually not the first time but i can't go too deep with spoilers, so let's just say that she already knows him and she didn't meet him in school.)
3) Introducing other characters; the transferred one, the principal's grandaughter and the bullies boss girl

so basically school is just for introduction or for covering things that out of that school would go rampage xD

joannekwan 2018-07-27 23:22:12 UTC #8

I would like to point out that school doesn't always have to be the main spot for teens. The mall is the main setting for the show 6Teen, about 6 sixteen-year-olds. And I think it can bring a whole 'nother dimension to high school crushes and the like, you have kids working, you can have kids from different schools meet here, it's a place to escape from the stress of classwork and boring lectures, etc.

For example: Imagine a scenario about a kid who's too shy to interact with a person at school, so they go to the workplace of their crush at the mall just so their crush could ring them up at the register. I think that's cute.

ar-ninetysix 2018-07-27 23:34:08 UTC #9

Like any story, it has to be organic. Like, it's gotta be a setting that makes sense, so if your characters are teenagers, a high-school setting just makes sense. teenagers typically spend most of their days at school with exception of weekends or vacations. The thing is.. I'm sure a lot of teens don't go to school and then immediately go home. Like, not everyone's a shut-in lol you can have 'em hang out at a mall or a skate park, hell, even a local burger joint works.

The only things I can see the environment affecting the characters and dynamics is in keeping characters apart. Whether it's their schedules and classes, or drama between the characters that started at school. As far as development goes, I'd say the experiences that can be had there can technically be experienced anywhere else outside of specific events or positions in school.

To sum it up, I personally don't really think the locations matter, so long as the characters and story make sense and are enjoyable. And being that it's a romance focusing on teens you're working on.. I'm expecting the topic of school and education to be mentioned at some point, whether or not you decide feature the high school is up to you. There's nothing wrong with using some commonly used tropes. If you know what to do with the tropes.to make them feel like your own, then go use them!

hjfsdh2222 2018-07-28 01:54:54 UTC #10

I will never put do any story set in high school (except in the case of parody:3)!!! I really freakin hate that trope.

Most of my stories are set in times when high school isn’t even necessary or existing. And most of my characters are adults.

I never saw why so many people write for high schoolers. They are probably the least interesting if not disgusting creatures on the planet. They have none of the interesting background or complexity of adults characters; and they don’t have any of the charm of child characters.

Jenny-Toons 2018-07-28 01:58:21 UTC #11

But...don't we grow into those "complex" adults by being teenagers first?

I'd argue there's complexity in the growth and experience one gains as a teenager in order to become that interesting adult. Dunno -- sounds like a harsh generalization XD

hjfsdh2222 2018-07-28 02:01:30 UTC #12

The development is what makes them crappy. Their in limbo. They aren’t fully formed. Once they are fully formed, then things can start happening to them. Then, they are decent human beings with value and beauty that people can actually care about.
If the ends is more interesting than the means, then start with the ends.

Jenny-Toons 2018-07-28 02:07:09 UTC #13

But...development is what makes them humans...?
You're never "fully formed"' -- only gaining more and more experience as you go along. XD

SleepingPoppy 2018-07-28 02:07:17 UTC #14

So... I think I missed a memo... High School is a trope now? Like, that is a setting. Maybe a genre? I'm not judging, I'm just baffled that everyone's like "yes, this is a trope, totally normal".

For many people the development and limbo is interesting to explore. It's okay that it's not to you, but it's not surprising that some people find this interesting. Also, fully formed or not, whether they like it or not, things happen to teenagers. Lots also recall that quite a lot of the content with teen age characters is targeting real life teens.

Or not. Some people are garbage.

SleepingPoppy 2018-07-28 02:08:07 UTC #15

All content should focus on 80 year olds. That would be more interesting. They have way more life experience! (I'm teasing, but genuinely having more content for older people would actually be a good thing XD )

hjfsdh2222 2018-07-28 02:14:06 UTC #16

Me personally I have just always liked writing for older characters better:/... and reading about older characters better. Even though I’m a teen. Soooo I just don’t get it:/

I can’t get what I don’t understand man. Just my opinion.

ar-ninetysix 2018-07-28 02:26:52 UTC #17

What????? Their age and experience shouldn't invalidate them, though. Teens have the capacity to develop just much as adults can. Whether or not it's good development doesn't matter, that fact is that they develop anyways.

This is all objective though.. it sounds like you see teenagers as less than human, and if that's the case, I think you're missing out. Teenagers can be angsty, immature, or self-obsessed, sure, but there's also plenty of fascinating and wonderful kids out there in that age range that no one talks about. I personally think there's value and beauty in watching a younger generation grow and develop, witnessing that change is what makes me care for them, you know? If they turn out to be terrible people, then who cares? We're all terrble in one way or another lol

ar-ninetysix 2018-07-28 02:32:11 UTC #18

You know, there's definitely something about being too close to the demographic that can turn you off from liking whatever someone else thinks you'll like based on your age. Like when a kid stops playing with toys or watching kids shows because "they're growing up". Maybe it's a similar thing.

MariMontoya 2018-07-28 03:55:31 UTC #19

1) How would you handle a romantic school-setted trope? How would you introduce it to the readers?
2) How would you play the story in this environment to favour characters dynamics and development?

Highschool is different for everyone. Like I went to a small private school and let me tell you it was very dramatic. Everyone knows everyone. You can't hide a secret or about who you are and who you're dating. Filled with rich kids who thought they could get away with anything (not all of them), "Highschool sweethearts", bullies, specific cliques (like preppy guys and video gamers), lots of drama some superficial some serious. Teenagers are all different there were some who looked like they had been through a lot and some who had never seen suffering. That's how it is. To group them all together wouldn't be fair. At that age they're the most volatile and they change sometimes constantly as they figure out their lives, but then again some of them don't. Some will still act immature when they get older others will grow and move on.

About writing school romances. Many are fleeting, there a flings as people don't know what dating even is, A LOT of immaturity and misunderstanding as people try to be adults. It's hard when they're trying to figure out who they are and also have to support another person and a lot of times you just don't have time for that kind of commitment. But I also know highschool sweethearts who are married and still going strong. It depends on whether you're willing to grow with that person and support them and they do the same to you.

Teenagers are complex and so are adults the only difference is experience and for each person it's all different so know your characters well enough to know what they won't do or what they would do and how they would handle romantic situations. That's how I would handle it

Heliox14 2018-07-28 13:33:19 UTC #20

1) How would you handle a romantic school-settled trope? How would you introduce it to the readers?

I guess first is to describe the environment. The school. What makes it so different from other schools? What would make the reader want to listen in on your version of the school.
I feel like the main problem with most people using the high school as the setting is that they invest too much on the CHARACTERS, instead of the setting. IF your characters are stellar, but the setting is lackluster, the effect would kinda fall flat. This also includes the social structure. Is it some kind of Heathers-esque school setting? Or is it a more intimate, more peaceful school?

The next part is the characters. How do they fit in (or not) in the school? What kinds of things affects them? What makes them tick? You can use the school, the setting to define them.
And then, well, you clash characters together. See if they fall in love. See if they can survive with the school setting.

2) How would you play the story in this environment to favour characters dynamics and development?

School is where ideologies are made or broken.
You're going to have to describe clashes of ideologies here. Between the gamer and the honor student. The slacker and the jock. You clash them all together, and you get yourself character development.